jpinkster

Saw two anglers fishing downstream of Ivor Strong bridge this afternoon. Called RAP immediately.

Here's some adversity for the new look Jays, let's see how they handle it. They have to win that big game tomorrow.

Not sure the previous comment deserved that level of response. I'm simply sharing what I've heard. I'm sympathetic to both sides of this argument, and have never once pretended otherwise.

Another point to consider is our level of enforcement. Sure we have legislation in place, but is it actually enforced? I've spoken with more than a few biologists that work in the patch. They suggest that the rules don't really seem to matter since many of them are blatantly ignored. We can't pat ourselves on the back for our great policies if we don't find a way to enforce them.

I don't have much of a response to that, but I'll leave you with this thought: For 43 years we had a "conservative" (and I use that phrase lightly, especially in the last 8 years) government in this province. Throughout that times we kept taxation low and created a very business friendly environment. In order to do this we often mortgaged things like the environment. I would love to see a scenario where we keep taxes low and keep a conscience when it comes to environmental issues, but the two seem to almost always be at odds with one another. The previous government failed on the environment file. We absolutely need to find a way to pay for things, and I'm hopeful this government can find a way to get us closer to the best of both worlds. Conservative governments are all fine and good until they stop actually being conservative.

Thanks for this Mike. I mentioned this to a few other guides/shops on another space, but I'm so grateful to see how you folks in the industry really understand the bigger picture here.

I talked to a biologist who is up there today that is doing some stream level/temperature checks on the Upper Oldman. Results may influence further closures, but we'll see I suppose.

I really do not think this is the next biggest issue facing our fisheries right now. I'd like to see them beef up F&W with a few more COs and specifically target irresponsible OHV use.

Here's the most up to date list that I could find: Effective August 11, 2015 the following waters have been closed to all fishing; due to high water temperatures, until further notice: Sheep River from headwaters to Highwood River; Highwood River from headwaters to Bow River; St. Mary River, downstream of the St. Mary Reservoir and tributaries; Belly River, downstream of Secondary Road 800; Bow River from Bearspaw Reservoir to the W.H.D. Weir; Bow River from W.H.D Weir to the Carseland Weir; Bow River from Carseland Weir to Highway 24 bridge; Bow River from Highway 24 bridge downstream to Bassano Dam; and Elbow River from Glenmore Reservoir to the Bow River confluence. The following areas are not yet closed, but we are asking people to carefully monitor and use safe handling practices for the following as well: Castle River and tributaries from Highway 3 upstream to Westcastle River; Oldman River from Racehorse Creek downstream to Oldman Reservoir; and from Highway 2 near Fort Macleod downstream to Secondary Road 509; Crowsnest River from Crowsnest Lake downstream to Oldman Reservoir; Belly River, downstream of Secondary Road 800; Waterton River, downstream of Waterton Reservoir; Waterton River, upstream of the Waterton Reservoir including tributaries; and St. Mary River upstream, of the St. Mary Reservoir, including Lee Creek. The fact that tributaries are not explicitly included is worrisome. Those skinny tribs (Jumpingpound, Gorge, etc) are in worse condition than the major rivers right now.

This is still a trend in the right direction. If this government is willing to listen to biologists to benefit the fisheries, maybe they will also listen to biologists that recommend more enforcement on ATVs, poachers, etc.

So today was a pretty huge day for anglers in this province. I've seen what happens when we mix politics with fishing here, but here are a few of my thoughts on what transpired today: Today the Provincial Government did something that hasn't happened in a VERY long time. On the advice of dedicated anglers and biologists it was agreed that a fishing closure would be introduced on a number of sensitive fisheries in Southern Alberta. I have had the opportunity to speak with a lot of people about this today. The overarching sense is that this likely would not have happened under the previous government. The previous government took a very hands off approach to our fisheries, and often did much more harm than good. I have my share of issues with the political dynamic in Alberta, but for me today was a really big win. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done on the fisheries file, but today proved that responsible anglers in Alberta have an ally with this government. Let's hope this is the first of many wise decision on the Alberta fisheries file.

We had a big long post on here earlier about this, not sure what happened to it.

Take Ezra's perspective with a grain of salt.

I'm not convinced this would have made a huge difference this year. The snow pack was so minimal and even our runoff was laughable at best. Just a bad year.

I'd be really interested to see the economic figures of the closures impact. What's the contribution to the local economy made from guides, etc? How much is the government having to spend on the closure? Obviously this will translate to longer term payoff, but the short term stuff is still interesting to look at.

Big time, the pressure on the Crow-Oldman-Livingstone is going to be stupid. Closing some just hurts others.

The balance lies in the middle. I personally do not believe that a government should live in fear of citizens. Making policy based on fear is a poor model.

This entire email frustrates me. "We are going to put up some cute little signs and hope that people follow the rules on their own". Regulations don't matter if you do not have the ability to enforce them!!!

I sent out some info on the closure from Councillor Keating's FB page earlier. Nenshi is away for all of August, so I highly doubt he has his finger on the pulse. If I see his Chief of Staff in the hallway I'll ask him about this.

Newstalk 770: http://www.newstalk770.com/2015/08/11/72234/?sc_ref=twitter

I'm really excited, but I think it is imperative that the Blue Jays win the division. I don't think you want to go into the play-in game (probably against the Angels). One-offs can go any which way. I like the Blue Jays in a best of 5, but in a single elimination anything can happen.

I have a brilliant money making scheme for all of us here: Let's float the Bow armed with cell phones and cameras. We can call in everyone who is ignoring the closure and cash in huge. Who's in?!

Because I'm terrible, there is also a second post on this in the S Alberta space. Can you either close that one down or amalgamate the two?

AB Outdoorsmen leaked it, looks like it is official now.

I suspect this was a leek that Alberta Outdoorsmen jumped on. They were putting all of this information on Twitter. Awaiting verification.